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Hippopotamus
Egyptian
Second Intermediate Period
1630–1539 B.C.
Medium/Technique
Faience
Dimensions
Height x width x length: 10.4 x 8.3 x 20.9 cm (4 1/8 x 3 1/4 x 8 1/4 in.)
Credit Line
Martha A. Willcomb Fund
Accession Number51.8
CollectionsAncient Egypt, Nubia and the Near East
ClassificationsSculpture
DescriptionPale green faience hippo with a large round belly and closed mouth. The design of lotuses and marsh plants, painted in purple-brown manganese pigment, symbolize creation, rebirth and the swampy habitat of the hippo.
ProvenanceBy 1870: brought from Egypt probably by Charles Hale, Consul General in Alexandria from 1864 to 1870; 1951: purchased by the MFA from Mrs. Fredson Bowers, Charlottesville, VA, daughter of Philip L. Hale, for $50. (Accession Date: January 1, 1951)